Chapter 59: Emergency, Mother in a Car Accident, Returning to Xing'an City

At the Jixiang KTV, Liu Rumei looked at the photograph in the newspaper. To be honest, he looked truly handsome.

Qian Chuan was naturally good-looking to begin with.

The photographer had chosen an excellent angle and captured the exact right moment.

Enhanced by the crisp police uniform, Liu Rumei felt herself getting somewhat aroused.

Song Yaozong had previously mentioned that Qin Chuan had influential backing, and now it seemed that background was indeed formidable.

If she could forge a connection with a man like this...

Liu Rumei felt that her ultimate trump cards, the Shuang sisters, would have to step up once again.

Of course, if that failed, stepping in herself would be no problem either.

With Qin Chuan’s appearance and status, he was entirely worthy of her, Liu Rumei.

...

"Captain Qin! You're in the paper!"

In the Criminal Police Detachment, Lu Zhiguo ran down the corridor waving a copy of the Lingjiang Daily, shouting at the top of his lungs.

He looked as excited as if he were the one featured in the newspaper.

"Cut it out, what are you hollering about? Did you finish interrogating Liang Guofa?"

Qin Chuan didn't give Lu Zhiguo any special pleasantries, speaking very casually.

Yet, precisely this casualness aroused the envy of the others, especially the Second Squad Leader Sun Haomin and Third Squad Leader Dong Houde.

Sometimes, when a leader criticizes you, it isn't a genuine reprimand; rather, it's a sign that they consider you one of their own.

Clearly, in the current Criminal Police Detachment, Lu Zhiguo was the only person Qin Chuan regarded as part of his inner circle.

Of course, Qin Chuan was also doing this deliberately for Sun Haomin and Dong Houde to see.

Those two weren't bad men, truth be told.

Sun Haomin also wanted to distinguish himself, but his actions were always a beat slower than Lu Zhiguo's.

Dong Houde possessed a delicate mind, thought too much, and was overly hesitant and cautious. While this kept him safe, it also eliminated any possibility of earning deeper trust from leadership.

As a newcomer, Qin Chuan currently needed the support of the team more than ever, especially from the three squad leaders.

Lu Zhiguo’s performance over the past couple of days, particularly yesterday, had left Qin Chuan thoroughly satisfied.

"Hehe, Captain Qin, the interrogation is complete. Old Lu here applied a bit of pressure, and he confessed to everything. As for that construction team manager who helped him with the murder, he was just dragged back in too, and we're just waiting to finish the transcripts before handing them over."

"Good. Make sure the follow-up work is solid."

As the deputy detachment head in charge of operations, Qin Chuan no longer needed to manage every single detail personally.

Returning to his office, just as he intended to catch a quick nap, Qin Chuan suddenly remembered the system rewards.

Having captured so many suspects yesterday, the morality points rewarded had been substantial.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for capturing Zhao Yunhu! Reward: 44 morality points!"

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for capturing Qiu Guozheng! Reward: 39 morality points!"

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for capturing Liang Guofa! Reward: 54 morality points!"

...

Yesterday afternoon and evening, after apprehending all those individuals, combined with the 2 remaining points he had previously, Qin Chuan’s system balance now stood at a grand total of 289 morality points!

Qin Chuan rubbed his hands together excitedly; it was time to draw prizes once again.

Summoning the system lottery wheel, Qin Chuan shouted inwardly: "Draw!"

The colorful wheel gradually enlarged in Qin Chuan's mind and spun rapidly.

"Stop!"

A moment later, the red pointer came to a halt in the blue sector.

"Congratulations to the host for winning the skill: Enhanced Olfactory Sense!"

Enhanced Olfactory Sense: A primary-level skill that improves the host's ability to distinguish scents.

This was quite good. Much like Enhanced Vision, it was a skill that heightened sensory capabilities.

"Continue the draw!"

The colorful wheel spun once more, and this time Qin Chuan waited quite a while before calling out to stop.

The red pointer pointed directly at the red sector.

"Congratulations to the host for winning the card: Skill Upgrade Card!"

Skill Upgrade Card: A one-time use item capable of upgrading any primary-level skill to an intermediate-level skill.

Qin Chuan’s eyes lit up; this upgrade card was fantastic.

Among the skill rewards Qin Chuan had previously drawn from the system, aside from Combat Elite which was an intermediate skill, all the others—Hundred-Mile Tracking, Footprint Identification, Criminal Investigation Scene Inspection, Enhanced Vision, and Enhanced Olfactory Sense—were primary-level skills.

Which skill he should actually upgrade kept Qin Chuan pondering for a long time without making a final decision.

"Never mind, I'll figure it out when the need arises. The card won't expire anyway."

The days that followed passed quite peacefully.

Qin Chuan dedicated all his energy to familiarizing himself with the Criminal Police Detachment.

In the middle of the week, he received a call from the County Committee's Propaganda Department, asking him to travel to Xing'an City on Saturday for an interview regarding exemplary police deeds.

Qin Chuan checked the schedule; it coincided precisely with the time he had planned to go to Xing'an City for his high school reunion.

After reporting to the bureau, Deputy Director Lin Hu confirmed he had also received the notification. He and Zhou Xuexi would be heading to the city as well, and told Qin Chuan to make preparations.

Qin Chuan had originally planned to return home on Thursday afternoon.

Ever since starting work, Qin Chuan hadn't been back home yet, so this trip to Xing'an City would be a perfect opportunity to visit his mother.

Then he would attend the class reunion on Friday night and the interview on Saturday.

However, plans often fail to keep pace with sudden changes.

At noon on Monday, while eating in the cafeteria, Qin Chuan received a phone call from a neighbor back in Xing'an City.

"Chuanzi, you need to get back here right now! Your mom just got hit by a car!"

Buzz!

Qin Chuan's mind went blank, and darkness seemed to wash over his eyes for a split second.

His mother had been in a car accident?

To his mother, her son had just started his job and left her side for a little over a month.

Yet Qin Chuan, having lived two lives, hadn't seen his mother for ten years.

In his previous life, Qin Chuan had been whisked away by a dump truck right out of prison, never getting the chance to see his mother one last time.

In this life... how could his mother possibly be in a car accident?

Qin Chuan remembered clearly that in his previous life, his mother had never experienced anything of the sort.

After the initial panic, Qin Chuan forced himself to calm down.

He was far away in Zhulin County, and distant water couldn't put out a nearby fire.

As for acquaintances in Xing'an City, he did have friends working in the hospital.

Running as he spoke, Qin Chuan dialed the number of a high school classmate who worked at the First People's Hospital.

"Old Chen, my mom just got hit by a car. The neighbor said she was taken to the First People's Hospital. Could you please go check on her?"

Chen Bing and Qin Chuan weren't just high school classmates; they had attended elementary and middle school together too, and Chen Bing was someone Qin Chuan's mother had watched grow up.

He was doing quite well for himself in Xing'an City, and by the time Qin Chuan went to prison, Chen Bing was already the vice president of the First People's Hospital.

"Don't panic, leave her to me. Rest assured."

Seeing Qin Chuan sprint out, the three squad leaders—Lu Zhiguo and the others—immediately bolted out after him.

"Captain Qin! What happened?"

"My mom was hit by a car. I need to head to Xing'an City."

"Captain Sun, please help me submit a leave request."

"Old Dong, hold down the fort."

"Lu Zhiguo, drive me to Xing'an City."

Back in 2010, the rigid distinction between official and personal use of official vehicles wasn't as strictly enforced, so Qin Chuan directly ordered Lu Zhiguo to drive him in a detachment vehicle.

Such vehicles were registered, meaning speeding tickets wouldn't apply, making the trip much more convenient.

Along the way, Qin Chuan called his neighbor again to inquire about his mother's condition.

However, the neighbor didn't know the details either, only repeating that she had already been taken to the hospital.

A car accident?!

How could his mother have been in a car accident?

Still, panicking was useless right now; he could only wait for the results from Chen Bing.

Knowing how anxious Qin Chuan was, Lu Zhiguo overtook every single car in their path, pressing the accelerator all the way to the floorboards.

Two hours later, at the Orthopedics Inpatient Department of the Xing'an City First People's Hospital.

"She's going to be fine. Right leg fractured, right arm bruised and scraped. We've already set the bone and put it in a cast."